Theatre Three is off to a spectacular start on its 2024-2025 season with multi-award-winning Matilda The Musical.
Upon exiting the theater after the Sunday matinee, one little girl turned to the other and asked, “What did you like best about this show?”
“Everything!” the other little girl exclaimed.
And that about sums up this Theatre Three production that’s sure to captivate the entire family.
Matilda The Musical is adapted from the beloved 1988 children’s book Matilda by prolific author Roald Dahl. The book for the musical was written by Dennis Kelly with music and lyrics by Tim Minchin. The musical ran at England’s Stratford-upon-Avon (November 2010 to January 2011) then premiered at the West End on November 24, 2011, before opening on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre on April 11, 2013, where it garnered rave reviews. Matilda The Musical won seven Olivier Awards in 2012 and five Tony Awards in 2013. A 1996 American film adaptation of the book was directed by Danny DeVito who played the role of Mr. Wormwood, while a subsequent British film adaptation released in 2022 starred Emma Thompson as Miss Trunchbull, a role traditionally played by a male actor.
Matilda The Musical is about a brilliant little girl born to parents who wanted a boy. In fact, her father, a used car salesman whose only interest is television, always refers to her as “boy,” and poor Matilda feels obligated to constantly correct him. Her dismissive mother is a ballroom dancer who on the day Matilda was born, was more concerned with missing a dance contest than having a baby. Her days are spent working on dance routines with her partner, Rudolpho, leaving no time for her daughter.
Matilda escapes into the world of the literary classics and finds sanctuary from her abusive home life at the library. She regales the librarian, Mrs. Phelps, with her imaginative tale about a husband and wife acrobat team in the circus who long for a child. Each time Matilda visits Mrs. Phelps, she continues a bit more of her tale, leaving the librarian eager for the next chapter.
The first day of school comes for Matilda and while she is lucky to have the nicest teacher, Miss Honey, the headmistress, Miss Trunchbull, is a villainous monster who constantly threatens the children with her torture chamber of horrors called “The Chokey.” At one point, she gives a child, Bruce, the alternative to devour an entire chocolate cake rather than face imprisonment in The Chokey. Poor Bruce eats the cake, but Miss Trunchbull throws the boy in the chamber anyway.
Matilda finds herself at a pivotal point. Her life has been difficult, forced to deal with nasty parents at home and cruel headmistress at school, but she discovers her gift of telekinesis which ultimately works in her favor.
Casting Matilda The Musical is tricky since the show is essentially in the hands of children, however Jeffrey Sanzel has assembled a sparkling cast of kids combined with adult actors who equally carry the show.
In the title role, Sadie Mathers as Matilda is a breathtakingly talented actor, singer and dancer. It is a wonder how this little girl could memorize all those lines; Matilda is in practically every scene of the show. Mathers brings the extraordinary Matilda to life and we are rooting for her from the start.
Her parents, Rachel Geiser as Mrs. Wormwood and Steven Uihlein as Mr. Wormwood, are as mean and thoughtless as their roles demand, and they make us want to cry for the poor little girl. The librarian, Mrs. Phelps (Michelle LaBozzetta), is a breath of fresh air with her engaging spirit that welcomes the child and encourages her imagination. Miss Honey (Veronica Fox) is lovely, caring and oh-so kind to Matilda. She realizes what a special child Matilda is and she embraces it. Fox mesmerizes with her rich soprano on songs like “Pathetic” and “This Little Girl.”
Bruce (Benjamin Corso) is a stand-out singer, dancer and actor who makes the most of the cake gorging scene. Liam Marsigliano, who performs in drag as Miss Trunchbull, is perfectly wretched! He is the cruelest nightmare of a headmistress and at the same time we can’t take our eyes off him in songs like “The Hammer.” The entire ensemble is strong and synchronized thanks to the stellar choreography of Sari Feldman.
Jason Allyn’s costume and wig design makes these characters come to life with a kaleidoscope of colors and wardrobe choices that distinguishes each, like Mrs. Wormwood’s piled-high platinum hair and sparkly outfits, Mrs. Phelps’ colorful dresses with matching eyeglasses, Miss Trunchbull’s staunch brown suit, flash of red tie and hair severely pulled back and Miss Honey in delicate pastels with flowing locks that reach her waist. The children appear first in colorful costumes for “Miracle” then navy blue uniforms with the flash of red tie similar to Miss Trunchbull’s for school.
Scenic design by Randall Parsons keeps the action fluid with pieces that float in and out defining each scene. Brian Staton’s projection design emphasizes the action onstage and at one point becomes the critical element in the show’s climax. Xiangfu Xiao’s lighting design is beautiful, especially where it creates tableaus with spotlights on Matilda at her entrance, strong poses and finale.
Presiding over all the action is musical direction by Jeffrey Hoffman and the band. They are so on point with the actors and they enhance each scene with full, rich accompaniment.
Matilda The Musical is an enchanting celebration that invites the entire family to join in on a wild ride of song, dance and a bit of mysticism thrown in for good measure. See it now through October 20 at Theatre Three in Port Jefferson, 412 Main Street.
For tickets and info, call the Box Office at 631-928-9100 or visit theatrethree.com.